Quest of the Vampire Lords, Part 1

This time, we found ourselves strolling through the misty streets of a city that was way into cobblestones. I was from a farm village myself, but even in that rustic setting, there had been modern amenities. Here, everything was oldie-worldy. Solid masonry was built in a world that had yet to grasp the shoddy construction powers of pre-fabrication. They grew great halls and spires to modest heights. This place had a clock tower, lit up by flame that likely burned from gas piping. The churches were marvels of stonework, and the streets were filled with distant sounds of horse hooves.

At least, I assumed there were horses. I had no explanation for how a world so far apart from my own contained the same features. Humans filled the city, and I could divine no difference between them and the inhabitants back home. If not for being told that the portal was taking me to another world, I wouldn't know.

I couldn't quite compare them to myself, nor to the one I accompanied, who trotted her merry way through the mist as if this were a vacation, and she was eager to see the attractions. Lord Ursgelda had taken to things quite naturally, and since I didn't have anything better to do, I was once again in tow. With no knowledge of whether this world also had vampires, we would stick out pretty sorely if we weren't so overly dressed. I shouldered a much larger shawl than usual, and managed to keep my special arm tucked out of sight. I fancied my little bonnet, but kept my hood up to shadow my features, for they were quite pale.

What made me crack a satisfied smile was this: Ursgelda had finally donned the classic vampire cape! Not...precisely on purpose, for she had taken a liking to some of the clothes the men wore and, for reasons I will shortly explain, had purchased for herself a sleek, black outfit, including trousers, a red blouse, and a white vest. The poor shopkeeper was aghast, for Ursgelda was rather short, and she was lucky to have such boyish proportions. It had been a job for the tailor to make the necessary adjustments, but we had time, and I didn't complain much.

I couldn't complain at all, come to think of it. I'm a mute. But I didn't even try to urge my Vampire Lord along.

Then, Ursgelda had paid in gold, which answered the question that had been on my mind. I thought the plan was going to be “dress and run.”

So let's get some of the nonsense out of the way. What were two vampires doing on a strange world? We have this...boss. Master. Leader. Call him what you like. Through an outrageous set of circumstances, I went from living in fear of vampires, to being rescued by a violent lunatic who could tear vampires to pieces, to finding myself following that lunatic as he murdered his way to the big boss herself.

Ray Peril had defeated Ursgelda without breaking a sweat. My village was saved! Unfortunately, not before I took a nip on the neck from one of Ursgelda's personal assistants. And that was just the start of a mad adventure that ultimately brought us to a man with a key. That key became Ray Peril's key, and the universe was now open to him for exploration.

Shortly thereafter, he told us that he had some business to take care of, shoved us through a portal to a strange world, and said he'd get back to us when he was done. Just like that, here we were.

I plodded along behind my sister vampire, admiring the cape, and glad that she finally had a true vampire look, if we could excuse the cane and top hat she had insisted upon. She'd even bought a pair of blood-red women's gloves, possibly satin, and in reality she looked a bit more like a stage magician. But she had the cape.

Ursgelda, you see, was more than a vampire. For three hundred some years, she had been a powerful Lord, and the vampire clans always gave that position to those of the purest blood. During that three hundred years, Ursgelda believed herself to be as pure a vampire as there was, and it was a terrible shock when she learned that her secret gift was the result of being half succubus.

She was inconsolable for months. For most of her life, she had hidden a nearly magical beauty by holding that power back, dressing sloppy, and giving herself a look like some smirking farm girl. She always wore big, oval glasses, and she snorted sometimes when she laughed. While she had not entirely stopped doing this, the beauty came out more often. For what it was worth, I feel it made her look more like the mysterious and seductive vampires I had always read about or seen in movies.

But her habit of hiding that beauty was the reason she chose her current outfit. If either of us was a tomboy, it was me, having actually been from a farm village, milked the cows, and ridden the horses. She was from a cave, as far as I was aware.

The fog of the night helped hide us as well. This world had two moons, and one glowed dim, bathing the sky in a red light from far away. The second, much closer, cast the night in a ghostly blue-white. We were able to pass as human with few strange looks, as there were not many people about, and they darted this way and that, many hurrying into one of the brick and stone structures that gave this city a unique and tranquil appearance.

“It's strange that he just threw us away like that. Do you ever get the feeling he's just testing us? It seems like he's always doing that. Like when he made me fight that wizard.”

I shrugged. Then, realizing Ursgelda wasn't looking, I trotted ahead of her, and shrugged again. She eyed me like I was being silly and said, “Do you want to walk in front?”

I didn't. It's a vampire thing. She's the leader. Besides, I didn't know where I was going.

My ears twitched. I thought I heard something in the distance, and I stopped. Ursgelda stared at me and tilted her head. She listened, realizing what I was doing, but she heard nothing.

She looked around and, seeing no one nearby, whispered. “Can you pop your ears out under that hood?”

I nodded. I should, at this juncture, mention that I, too, was more than a vampire. In a very unfortunate string of mishaps, I had acquired several traits that roughly put me into the category of chimera. One such trait was that I also carried werewolf blood.

It was difficult to control at first, but after much practice, I could do clever things, such as only changing my ears, without going through the full transformation into the beast that would, certainly, stir any passersby. My hearing was already better than Ursgelda's, even without changing, but my wolf ears were incredible, and I picked up a commotion from far away.

My ears shrank back into something more human, and I pointed. Ursgelda turned and strained.

“Oh dear. Vampires, eh? Well, we simply must see this! I wonder if they're just like us? Let's find out, Silence!”

Ah, yes. The name. I was feeling grouchy about it, because I had traveled with Ursgelda for some time, now, and she still called me Silence, even though she had very recently heard our master call me by my real name, which was Tammy Knitbar. She hadn't said it once, so far.

But I followed along, anyway. Ursgelda was careful not to run so fast that it surprised the humans. We were both far faster than anything on two legs. I was like lightning when I was on all fours. No, we maintained a steady, but hurried trot to our destination, which seemed to be some large building of no determinable purpose. It had an appearance like a mound, though it was all stonework, with vents protruding from the top. It looked like something you could use to cook a giant pizza.

An enormous crowd had gathered around it with pitchforks and torches, and even a few guns. We milled around in the crowd, hoping to catch wind of what was going on, and maybe find out more about these vampires. Finally, I indicated through a series of gestures that Ursgelda should ask someone.

She didn't pick up on it. I indicated harder, pointing at people and making little duck-shaped talking motions with my hand. Naturally, I was entirely misunderstood.

“No, Silence. You probably shouldn't eat any of these people. Especially in a crowd this big. They'll poke you with one of those forks.”

I rallied, trying again.

“Look, if you're that hungry, we can go find a cat or something, I...What? What do you want? Oh. Oh! Right. I'll ask someone.”

Finally, Ursgelda turned to someone in the crowd and asked, “What's the commotion?”

A nasty gentleman with a scraggly beard pointed at the building with his pitchfork. “We've cornered a vampire inside. Not letting 'im get away. They say this one's a Vampire Lord. Bring him down and the rest might run off.”

Ursgelda thanked the man, then turned to me and rubbed her chin. “Vampire Lord? Cornered in a building? A Lord wouldn't be afraid of this crowd. I wonder what they've actually got in there...”

Ursgelda grabbed me and we went right for the door, but two men blocked our way.

“Whoa! Don't go opening it! We have to prepare some nets or a trap. He'll slip right by us, otherwise.”

Ursgelda smirked awkwardly. “What? You think a net is going to hold a Vampire Lord?”

“Of course.”

The crowd was getting restless, and Ursgelda did not look pleased with how this was being handled. To her, it was ludicrous that they would dare to catch a Lord with a net. It wouldn't end well if they tried that with her, I knew, and there probably wasn't a net that could hold me.

“Okay, okay, everyone calm down. Calm down!”

Ursgelda tried to wave the crowd into silence. It took some time, and she stood before the door, facing the crowd with a look that dared anyone to try and get past her. They didn't, since the plan was precisely the opposite of entering, but she nearly convinced them that they should try, just because she was being defiant.

“Now what exactly is this nonsense about a Vampire Lord? You think you've chased a Lord into this building? Wouldn't be much of a Lord if he went and got cornered, would he?”

The crowd laughed. Someone shouted, “Wouldn't be the dumbest thing a Vampire Lord did. They're not exactly clever, most of them!”

More laughter. I saw Ursgelda's face go a little red, which was very, very red for a vampire.

She kept her cool, though. “Alright, how about you just let me and my friend slip inside and see what this is about? We're exactly the right ones for this job, and if you just give me a minute, I...”

“Are you an idiot? Trying to get yourself killed? That's a vampire in there, missy.”

“So it is.” Answered Ursgelda. “And I know a thing or two about hunting vampires. Let me assess the situation, and I'll see if I can't find a peaceful solution to this.”

The crowd slung all sorts of insults her way.

“You're daft as they come!”

“What will you do, negotiate? With a vampire?”

“What vampires did you hunt? Little dollies with fangs?”

I could feel the steam building under Ursgelda's ridiculous hat. She hadn't lied, though. She had once pretended to hunt vampires for the great kingdom of Galenia, in order to convince them to accept her as a religious icon, all so she could save some poor girl.

Right now, she was probably trying to save a vampire. Said vampire was almost certainly not a Lord. And if he was a Lord, this crowd had no idea the favor that Ursgelda was doing for them.

“I'm going to say this once, very nicely, because I try really hard to look at humans as more than food these days...I'm going in there...to talk to this supposed Vampire Lord...and you can trust me to do this because I am a vampire, and I promise not to eat any of you, so long as you quit your stupid shouting!”

The crowd went completely silent.

“Oh my god! Another vampire!”

Then it was all panic. People started running this way and that. The pitchforks came out. Those nearby weren't sure exactly what to do, because Ursgelda looked entirely unimpressed by their weapons. People shouted. Someone called for the army, which probably wasn't in hearing distance. Ultimately, though, people closed in.

I found that rather surprising. My whole village wouldn't have risen to approach a single vampire, much less two. I looked at Ursgelda, and she shook her head with her eyes closed. Then, she placed her hands over her ears and said, “Silence, if you please?”

I blinked. It didn't take me long to figure out what she meant. Another explanation, then, is in order. One of the most interesting thing about me is my true nature. I've been a mute all my life. I grew up with no ability to communicate effectively with anyone. I thought that was all there was to it, but just as Ursgelda learned the truth about her heritage, I too made a discovery, practically by accident. It turns out that I was never human to begin with. At least, not fully. My mother had been a siren, and the funny thing about sirens is this: we can't talk. At all. But we sing with a voice that rivals the mesmerizing power of a succubus.

It seemed Ursgelda was happy to use me like a tool in this regard, but without Ray around, it was probably best to leave her in charge. Believe it or not, she was wiser than she looked.

So I decided to give her a hand with the crowd. I stood, took a deep breath, and let flow from my bosom an enchanting tune that would placate everyone lucky enough to have ears this night:

Peeper snaps, peeper snaps

Can't be beat

They're the crunchy little snack

To share with friends you meet

Peeper snaps, peeper snaps

What a treat

They're the bestest little cracker

That you'll ever eat!

I even did a little dance, placing my fists next to my head and pointing each index finger up, bobbing left and right at my waist. Ursgelda uncovered her ears, turned to narrow her eyes at me, and I smirked, giving a shrug. She'd put me on the spot, and it was the first song that came to mind. What? Did she want me to recite all of Galenia's Glory?

The crowd came to a dead stop, and a few of the pitchforks clattered to the ground. The spell wouldn't last long, but we certainly had a few minutes.

“Thank you all, very much.” Ursgelda said, warmly, and with a self-satisfied grimace. “As you can see, we are capable, and willing to help. If you would just relax a little, and give us a few minutes inside, we will convince these vampires to never bother you again. Silence?”

Ursgelda snapped her fingers at me as she turned toward the door. Her cape billowed out, right in front of my face, and for a moment I considered snapping at it and giving her a good yank. But I had decided she was in charge, so I guess the finger snapping was okay.

For now.

We crept inside. Ursgelda more sort of strolled, but I ducked in and crept, keeping close to Ursgelda's back. I wasn't really afraid, which was a new feeling for me. However, I didn't smell anything in this room, which meant I wasn't sure what we were up against.

And then it became clear. There really wasn't anything to be afraid of.

But let me put that into perspective. Ursgelda stopped in the middle of a room that was pitch dark, slammed both hands on top of her cane, and leaned against it, patiently stating, “You can come out now. We're not blind. I saw you perfectly well when we entered. We are also vampires.”

The vampire appeared before Ursgelda in an instant, kneeling, then rising before her. He was a good head and a half taller, and he examined Ursgelda closely.

“So you are. But what was that wonderful song outside, just now? I've never heard anything like it!”

Ursgelda tipped her hat. “That would be my darling sister, known to the world as Silence the Dread Night Terror That Stalks in the Night. Her beautiful voice is...captivating, to say the least.”

“I could barely recover my senses! And just who are you two? I've never met you before.”

“We're from...far away. Tell me, what is your name, and are you a Vampire Lord?”

The vampire took a bow. “I am Lord Tanz.”

“Lord Ursgelda.” She curtsied. Didn't look right in those clothes, but she did it anyway. They both looked at me. I rolled my eyes and gave a little bob.

“Don't mind her. She can't talk.”

Lord Tanz appeared confused. “But you just said she was singing.” He laughed. “How can it be that she sings but cannot talk? And since when was there another Lord? Did they think I was dead?”

Lord Ursgelda laughed. “My sister is part siren, and can only sing. And I'm from a different clan. I'm in a little bit of a hurry, nice as it is to meet another Vampire Lord. You see...”

She gave a flourish. To the outside world, this would look ridiculous, here in total darkness. But to us vampires, we could see each other as if the sun was lighting up the walls.

“...I have come with a deal, and you should hear me out, for lives hang in the balance. I have come to make peace between the humans and vampires. Now, I know that sounds like a joke, and that~”

“Oh, thank goodness...”

Ursgelda lowered the cane that she had pointed at the opposing vampire. “What?”

“I mean, they were probably going to kill me.”

Ursgelda let the cane come to rest on the floor. It went tonk, echoing around the room.

Then she went batty on him. “What do you mean, they were going to kill you? You're a Vampire Lord! I was trying to convince you not to kill them!”

The vampire backed away. “A crowd that size? Even the great Lord Tanz wouldn't survive! Just what do you think I'm capable of? Or did you not see all those pitchforks?”

I felt a bubbling of blood, of rage in Ursgelda and worry from Lord Tanz. Ursgelda's blood transmitted powerful emotions my way, and it was the equivalent of grinding teeth. I put a hand on her shoulder, and she relaxed. Just a little.

The taller Lord before her seemed uneasy, for he certainly picked up on her blood signals. He seemed to be cowering, though it looked strange, since even hunched over he was taller than us.

Then I felt a strong sympathy flowing from Ursgelda, and she suddenly took a much gentler tone.

“You're not much of a Lord, are you?”

Lord Tanz panicked. The look in his eye was one of someone that had no idea what he was expected to do. “I mean, are any of us? Our power has dwindled to nothing since the incident. I don't know what clan you're from, for I wasn't aware there were any others left. But our Lord Marask vanished, and he took with him his most powerful councilmen! The disarray made us easy targets for hunters, and I'm afraid a lowly vampire like me is all that is left.”

Ursgelda put a hand on her chin. “And how powerful are you, exactly?”

I could practically feel it from here, and knew the answer was nothing good. Lord Tanz weakly demonstrated a little bit of the dead magics that all vampires could control. It was a sputtering drizzle, not even close to the little bit of magic Ursgelda had taught me to muster. I didn't mean to, but I rolled my eyes again. One of the interesting things about being a vampire; it's built into us that we look down upon weakness. I had tried to suppress that, but it was inescapable. All I could do is feel bad about it. We're hierarchical by design.

To think that at one time I would have been in mortal dread of Lord Tanz. Now a creeping feeling sluiced through my veins that I should seize from him his Lordship. It was a little depressing, every time I realized there was no going back to the scared little girl I used to be.

Lord Tanz knew what we were feeling. He sensed our disdain, and he sighed.

“I didn't ask to be a Lord. There's simply no one left with power.”

Ursgelda had the same feelings I did about Lord Tanz. Fortunately for him, the feelings didn't dominate our actions as well. Ursgelda fed him some more sympathy, although something troubled her.

“This makes things difficult. My bargaining chip would normally be to use the humans' fear of you to work out a deal. But they didn't seem very afraid of you, with the exception of having to face you alone. I assume you could at least kill a single human?”

“Three or four, yes. But compared to Lord Marask, the rest of us are slow, weak, and lack his cunning and magic.”

Now Ursgelda was pacing around. Her cane clacked against the cobblestones. She started to hear commotion outside again. Soon the crowd would be ready to battle vampires again, and I could tell Ursgelda didn't want the distraction. She gave Lord Tanz an appraising look. I, too, examined him, but I wasn't sure what Ursgelda was looking for.

“You have the look. I can say that much. Yes...you may just have a bit of Lord in you after all. Ah-ha!”

Ursgelda slammed a fist into one hand. She then quickly darted that hand out in time to catch the falling cane, which she gave a twirl and once again pointed at Lord Tanz.

“Lord Tanz, you may not measure up right now. But I am Lord Ursgelda, the greatest Vampire Lord you might ever meet. I will take you under my wings, giving you an apprenticeship like no other, and we will cultivate that inner Lord. Yes, this is my mission. I'm going to make a king of this one. When I'm through with you, even this Lord Marask might put you on his council, if we can find him.”

Lord Tanz looked uneasy. He ran his hands through dark hair, and scratched his ear, looking confused in the presence of a much more suitable Lord. “Why would you do that? I can smell the power in your blood. I would hand over my clan to you without a fight.”

Ursgelda laughed. She positively cackled. I admit to feeling a little angry that, after all this time, she never offered to give me any apprenticeship at all.

That was probably me just being jealous in my blood. I hoped so. I didn't remember being that kind of girl before being bitten.

Ursgelda finally stopped laughing, and said, quite clearly, “Because I have no need of your clan. I don't plan on sticking around. But I'm not going to watch another clan fall to pieces. I have no intention of letting the humans destroy you. However, there will be rules.”

She shook a finger at him. “You must pay attention to this. I come from a world where a single human wiped out my clan. He took me as a pet, and his power was so great that my vampiric lust for power found him irresistible. It's possible I've been sent to bring the vampires of this world into the light. To do that, we have to be clear. You cannot attack humans henceforth, except in self-defense. I will give you the power you need, but you must barter with the humans for blood, and only turn those who truly wish to join your clan. You must let the humans have the civilized world, and you must help them. I know that this sounds crazy, but it works, and I have seen it work. I made it work. My sister over there has never killed a human in cold blood. There is great magic in dealing with humans, and you will find that you are drawn to their incredible power to change the world itself. If you can agree to those terms, I will not only teach you how to be a Lord – I will help you find Lord Marask.”

Now Lord Tanz took a few paces back and forth. It was for show. A Lord obviously had to appear that he was considering any deal.

“This is the silliest thing I've ever heard. You mean you made a deal with food and it worked? And you think you can just mold me into a great Lord? If I couldn't hear your blood boiling with excitement, I'd think you were having me on.”

Ursgelda gave him an evil smile. Very slowly, she allowed some of her own dead magic, the shadow mist and strands, to curl away from her physical form and fill the air around her. I had seen her at her full power, and this was only a taste, but it was so much more than Lord Tanz had been able to generate that the lesser Lord shuddered.

“Do we have a deal?”

Lord Tanz looked Ursgelda in the eyes. “Let us begin.”

“Great!” Ursgelda broke her gaze and turned, marching past me. Then she spun, raising a finger. “Does this world have werewolves?”

“Of course.”

“You're going to have to trust me on this. You should take them in. Make them pets, or whatever. They need masters more than they'll admit. I'm going to have to see if my old butler can help, too...”

“Butler? Even Lord Marask didn't have a Second. Just how great a Lord are you? Do you have a mist mansion somewhere?”

Ursgelda grimaced. “I had one. Until I crossed that man... And my butler is actually dead. He's a ghost living inside her head.” She pointed at me.

Did I mention that I also have an army of ghosts in my head? And Ursgelda's butler – the same one that turned me into a vampire – is one of them, naturally. Nothing like the constant reminders that my family was eaten and I'm a monster.

I noticed Lord Tanz giving me an odd look, so I smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

“And finally, what of this Marask? What exactly happened to him and his council?”

Tanz shook his head. “They were trying to make allies with one of the polar clans. We never saw them again.”

Ursgelda nodded. “Then we'll go after them.”

“It will be a difficult journey. Avoiding the sunlight during the trip makes it a very perilous journey. Could take months to plan a route that has good shelter.”

Ursgelda gave a fanged smile. “Not at all. I come bearing gifts, and this one is the greatest of all. The sunlight doesn't burn us. It's quite wonderful, in fact.”

It actually makes us both feel a little drunk sometimes.

Tanz gasped audibly. “You can walk in sunlight? You can't possibly mean it! Why would I want to give up the night? Why would I want to taste the sun?”

“Lord Tanz, I am going to save your clan. And when I am done with them, they will be something much greater than before. Now give me your arm and let me take a bite. This is going to hurt a little, but once you taste the sun, you'll understand. Then, we can seek out your former Lord and return the vampires of this world to glory.”

I could sense his hesitancy without reading his blood. Ursgelda had fiercely resisted Ray Peril's concoction that had allowed her to absorb sunlight, replacing some of the thirst for blood. Lord Tanz might have been willing to go along with Ursgelda's scheme, but this was a lot to ask so suddenly. His situation must have been dire, for he soon pulled up his sleeve and offered his arm.

“I fear the clan might not accept this power, even if I set the example. Likely they will choose another Lord.”

Ursgelda took the arm, running a gentle palm over the exposed, blueish flesh. “And I would have no trouble biting them all, whether they want it or not. But let's not force the issue. It shall be you who leads them, unless we can recover your former Lord. I have been long without the company of my clan, and even your low presence is worthy of my attention. Now, hold still.”

Ursgelda sank her fangs into Lord Tanz's arm, and concentrated the boiling power of sunlight into his veins. I had never seen her do this before. She once used this ability to temporarily turn her clan to statues, slowly converting them instead of attempting this instant injection. I was worried that the sudden burst of sun power might cook Lord Tanz, but he seemed to be just fine.

Ursgelda removed her fangs and stood back, wiping her mouth. Lord Tanz clenched a fist a few times and dropped his sleeve back over the arm.

“Here's hoping I do not regret this night.”

Ursgelda gathered us and led the way back outside. The door opened slowly. She noted a net being hurriedly constructed, and frowned. The workers eyed her with an embarrassed innocence, then slowly removed the net.

“Some room, please.”

The vampires stepped into the crowd. People were gathered around, a little hesitancy in the air. Apparently, one vampire was no trouble, but three was cause for a little worry.

“This is Lord Tanz. I don't know what your history is with vampires here, but we have negotiated with his Lordship, and he has agreed to lend the power of his vampires to this town, if you will allow it. They will gladly accept payment for their services in the form of blood, from animal or human.”

“Can't we just kill him?”

Ursgelda narrowed her eyes. “No. You can ask him to leave, though I suggest you sleep on it for a week. The strength of vampires could be very useful for any growing city. I have also shared with Lord Tanz the power to stand in the sun, so the vampires will be able to share daylight with you, and will no longer scheme against humans from the shadows. All shall be laid bare. But in the spirit of the thing, you may not kill this vampire. Just to run the point home, I'll show you something much scarier than a vampire. Silence?”

I stepped forward, flinging my shawl open and transforming into the wolf. I grew as tall, maybe a little taller, than Lord Tanz, and stared at the crowd with a little theatrical menace, making my teeth visible to all. The crowd took a step back, all as one, and there were gasps and cries of fear that made me feel a little out of myself. I don't think I've ever done this to intimidate anyone, but it was what the Lord wanted, so I went ahead with it. I was very aware by now that I might almost be a match for Ursgelda, but I was barely over twenty, and she was well over three hundred years old, so if anyone was going to do the planning, it would be...I mean, it would have to be the one that could actually talk, when you get down to it.

Drat! I didn't even think of it! I'd just ripped the seams all over my clothes!

“What do you want from all of us, then?”

Ursgelda kept the town in her thrall. The truth was, nobody dared do anything without her permission. It was clear that the tables had turned, and they were at the mercy of the monsters, but nobody was sure what that meant in this instance.

“You can all go home. Except anyone who can tell us how to travel to the polar regions. I suspect you'll be glad to have us leave, and that's the quickest way to get rid of us. Do we all have a deal?”

The crowd dispersed, leaving us in what turned out to be a spacious town square. The only two remaining were a couple of very suspicious, lanky individuals in gleaming, white suits. They approached us with smiles, and that made their natures all the more obvious. One man, one woman, eyeing us curiously. They were definitely vampires.

“Lord Tanz!” came the man. “We were hoping to rescue you!”

“It seems ve have some allies after all, yes?”

The woman practically stuck her nose in my abdomen, then slowly raised her view up to my chest, tilting her head to try and look me in the eye. She was taller than Ursgelda, and would be taller than me once I changed back. Hands on her hips, she was making some evaluation of me, and she had a glint in her eye that I often saw in Ursgelda's eyes when something struck her as interesting.

“Zis beast is magnificent! Not so big like our volves, but...oh! Vat is zis? Zis arm! Zis arm is like ze rails of ze steam engines!”

When I said I was a chimera, I meant it. I was also part robot. By a whole arm. I have no idea how, but the metal arm is such a part of me, that it even changes from a vampire hand shape to wolf paw when I transform. Biology gave up on me some time ago. There are, apparently, no sensible rules when it comes to my ridiculous amalgamations.

Lord Tanz nodded. “Uldin, Zelina, may I introduce Lord Ursgelda, and...”

He concentrated. “Silence the Dread Night Terror that Stalks in the Night. It seems I owe them my life.”

Uldin approached Lord Ursgelda. “A Lord? Have you come to claim our clan?”

Ursgelda planted herself firmly. She was really getting her money out of leaning on that cane dramatically. “I'm afraid not. But I'll help Lord Tanz, and we will try to find the old Lord. I won't be staying, but I might be here for a while. I'm at the mercy of my master's whims.”

“Your master?”

“Don't ask. Long story.”

Uldin removed his gleaming cap and took a bow. “If it is to help Lord Tanz, consider us at your service.” He replaced his hat and looked at the three of us with a broad smile. “I can get you passage on one of the airships. Zelina and I are not without some resources in the realm of the humans. We were able to blend with the crowd, and we planned to slip away with Lord Tanz if he was somehow held up by these overbearing meals. Did I hear you right? You want peace with the food? How do you propose we manage that?”

Ursgelda smiled. “I will teach Lord Tanz all I can. When I am finished, if the clan will trust him, he will be the vampire that changes this world. Now...”

Ursgelda stepped forward, and her blood poured powerful signals into all of our spines. Zelina backed into me in surprise, and I popped back into my tiny vampire body, bracing her with my metal arm. Uldin shrank back from Ursgelda's approach. Lord Tanz watched her with interest.

“Tell me about this airship.”

The last time I was surrounded by this many vampires, I was saving a world from invaders from another planet. Now, on a whim of my vampire better, I would be joining several vampires on a hunt for another Vampire Lord. I really wished I could make some objection, or maybe just sneak off somewhere and wait this out, because I smelled trouble coming our way. I wasn't sure how Ursgelda was going to train a weakling of a vampire to take on a Lordship before our master returned for us, but it seemed my schedule was full for the foreseeable future. I sighed inwardly. Unlife goes on.